(MOBILE, Ala.) – A void is being felt in the city of Mobile as a community mourns the death of Dr. Yvonne Kennedy, who passed away Saturday following a brief illness.

Kennedy, a woman Mobile Mayor Sam Jones called a “pillar of the community”, will be remembered for her leadership and commitment to the city.

A longtime state representative, she was elected to the state house in 1979.

Kennedy was the second permanent president of Bishop State Community College, appointed in 1981 after its namesake Sanford D. Bishop Sr. died. She has been credited with overseeing major growth to the campus. She retired from this position amid a financial scandal in 2006.

A woman who wore many hats, Dr. Kennedy was a past chairwoman of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, and was national president of international organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., to name a few.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley remembered Kennedy in a tweet.

“She was a fine lady who represented her district well,” he wrote.

Bentley is expected to call a special election in the coming week to fill Kennedy’s seat.